Tag: makeup empties

It’s that time again to go digging through the trash! I know I have said this before, but man do I love empties! Reading about them, looking at pictures, watching YouTube videos. Empties are just the best! Recently I watched Jessica do her Empties video and she came up with a better way to call empties, the Final Impressions. I thought that was so clever because it is so true! When you use up a product entirely, you have a better grasp on what you feel about a product. So, if you are curious as to what I used up this past month, then just keep on reading!

I think I will save the makeup related items for last. They are always my favorite to hear/read about and I believe in saving the best for last. First up I have 2 containers of the Febreze Air Effects in Fresh-Fall Pumpkin*. Believe it or not, I still have 10 containers left to use up that I bought almost 3 years ago. Unfortunately, Febreze is not a cruelty-free brand (it is apart of Proctor & Gamble), therefore, sad panda here, I will not be repurchasing. Fall scents are my favorite, I absolutely live for the season and the smells. This scent is one of my favorites. You get a slight sweetness to the pumpkin and a light spice, reminiscent of Bath & Body Works Leaves.

Continuing with the fall theme, here is a Better Homes & Gardens candle in Around the Campfire*. There is a scent from Bath & Body Works called Marshmallow Fireside I think this was trying to replicate. I’ve never purchased that candle, but damn. This candle is unbelievable. When I smell it, I get warmth, a slight woodsy smell, and a sweetness. I have no idea what marshmallows smell like, but this scent has to be one of my favorites. I think I have one or two left and I am not happy about it. This would be a definite repurchase for me, but I have no idea if it is cruelty-free or not. It is easier for me to find information about makeup than it is about most home items. So, because I can’t find any information on this brand, I will not be repurchasing. If you know whether or not they are cruelty-free and where you found the information, please let me know! I’d really appreciate it! Also, if you know of any cruelty-free candles that go along these lines, don’t hesitate to drop those in the comments!!

The last of the home items and clearly another fall themed item is my Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soapin Give Thanks. The notes are vanilla pumpkin and brown sugar. Here’s the thing, for the most part with my fall scents, I tend to go more spicy, warm, and slightly sweet. This was really sweet, but man, I loved it! I truly didn’t think I would. To me, it reminded me so much of Pumpkin Pie, I just wanted to melt into my hands. However, this formula dried out my hands almost instantly after using it. None of these foaming hand soaps are moisturizing in the slightest. They made my hands feel very uncomfortable. Even if Bath & Body Works went back to being cruelty-free, I would not repurchase any of the foaming hand soaps.

Next up we have a container of the Onyx Professional Professional Remover Salon Formula* in Strawberry. I personally have not looked into if Onyx is a cruelty-free brand. I don’t care about the product either way. It was fine, but it did take a bit to remove polish. So, even if it happens to be cruelty-free, I would not repurchase this item. I have one more bottle of it in my back stock, after that I will not be repurchasing.

Here is a product that I am super proud and impressed by. The Bath & Body Works A Thousand Wishes Fine Fragrance Mist. The notes are Pink Prosecco, Sparkling Quince, Crystal Peonies, Gilded Amber, and Amaretto Crème. It was nice, but not my typical fragrance. It took me a while to use up this bad boy, over a year. You have no idea how much of a struggle it is for me to use up any type of fragrance, whether it be a mist or a perfume. I think almost 9 years ago I used up the DKNY Blossom fragrance (discontinued), 6 years ago I used up a 1 oz bottle of the Michael Kors Glam Jasmine* fragrance, and last year I used up aBath & Body Works Sensual Amber Fine Fragrance Mist. That is sad. Let me just say I have a total of three full-sized fragrances (3.4 fl oz), two roller balls, and three additional Bath & Body Works Sensual Amber Fine Fragrance Mists. I honestly don’t have too many options and yet I still can’t use any of them up. Luckily, I threw two fragrances in my 13 By Halloween Project Pan so hopefully, I can dwindle down what I have.

Now on to the best part, THE MAKEUP! I will say, I don’t have anything too exciting this time around. First up are my Makeup Removing Cleansing Cloths by Kroger. I’m not sure if the Kroger brand is cruelty-free or not. I’m going with no, just because I cannot find any information on them. If they were, I would repurchase. The took off my makeup well, although I cannot use them near my eyes. I do not have sensitive eyes at all, but these things burned the shit out of them. So just fair warning if you were considering these bad boys.

I also used up another Essence I Love Extreme Volume Waterproof Mascara*. I really enjoy this mascara, it is more of a dryer formula, but it is super budge-proof. I don’t have any problems normally with it smudging or flaking. When it starts doing that, I will try and revive it with some eyedrops, then if it does it again, its time has come to say goodbye. I think it is around $4 and it is wonderful. Definite repurchase in the future once I go through some other mascaras. Lastly is a deluxe sized sample of the First Aid Beauty Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer*. This was really nice. There is a fragrance to this product and this is going to sound weird, but it smells like those old-school soft plastic toy babies. Like a Cabbage Patch kid. It’s not a terrible smell, just weird. It moisturized my skin, but other than that I didn’t notice anything different or wonderful about this product. If I got another sample, I would enjoy using it, but I don’t foresee myself purchasing this product.

Well, that’s it for this months trash. Not too much going on. I had quite a few products last month, but without thinking I threw them away without posting about them. So, bummer, but oh well. What are some products that you used up this past month? Would you repurchase any? Let me know in the comments! Anywho, thank you for stopping by and until next time!

Note: Any link containing an asterisk ( * ) contains an affiliate link. There is no cost to you for using them, purchasing an item through them gives me a small commission that helps with my site. Thank you in advance!

*This post contains affiliate links. There is no cost to you if you use them, but clicking and purchasing through one of them earns me a very small commission.

Here we are at the end of month five of 2018 and another empties post. Honestly, I didn’t think I would publish another empties post so soon, but my products collected quickly. If you want to check out my last empties post, I will have that linked for you here. I have decided to go from home products, hair care, skin care, makeup items, then samples. I love saving makeup stuff for last because that’s what gets me most excited. So if you are curious what made it to my trash pile, just keep on reading. Also, this is another long post so you might wanna grab a drink!

For the months of April and May, I managed to use up three candles. This is a pretty big deal for me because I am famous for buying candles but never using them up. That pumpkin spice candle I have had for 2 years in my backstock. Yes, 2 years. Actually, it may be 3 but we will just stick with 2. I fucking LOVE pumpkin spice. Pumpkin ANYTHING is my jam. Although, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are terrible, stick with a White Chocolate Pumpkin Americano, you are welcome. This candle wasn’t overpowered with cinnamon (thank fucking Christ). You have enough warmth to the pumpkin so it wasn’t overly sweet, but the strong fragrance would waft through the house wonderfully. Think of a fresh slice of warmed pumpkin pie. Every time I burnt this candle I would be transported to fall, with the crisp, cool air, the leaves changing from green to yellow, orange, and red, and me bundled up in my blankets watching Hocus Pocus. Oh yeah, this candle is wonderful. I still have two in my backstock. It is the Mainstays Pumpkin Spice Candle ($4.86 US for 20oz) and it is seasonal, usually coming back in stock around late August, early September.

The other candle has quickly become a close second. It is the Better Homes & Gardens Around the Campfire Candle ($5.96 US for 18oz). Oh my gosh. If you need a more affordable option for Bath & Body Works Marshmallow Fireside Candle, this is it! It is warm, smokey, slightly sweet. Good God! Unfortunately, this scent is limited edition. You can’t order it online, it is an in-store purchase only. When I originally picked up this candle, I only grabbed two. I went back a couple days later and picked up an additional four. This takes me to the end of fall, beginning of winter type of scent. I just adore it. Literally, as I am typing this I’m inhaling the fragrance. I need a perfume of this, honestly. Like, yesterday. I only have three left in my backstock and I’m not comfortable with that. Anyway, let’s keep moving, shall we?

Alright, I need to work on these. I will explain why in just a second. So first, yay, used up a Febreze Aerosol in Fresh Cut Pine($2.97 originally, $18 US for a 3-Pack on Amazon), however, I still have 13 cans left. Granted not of this scent but of the Pumpkin scent, but I digress 13. Yes, you read that correctly 13 as in 1-3 cans of Febreze. Why? No fucking idea. I love the scent of these things, they work wonderfully, but I forget to use them. They are even sitting out to where I can see them and I still forget to use them. This number is not necessary, I need to work on lowering these!

This one though, this item right here, I am SUPER proud of. This is the Elizabeth and James Nirvana Bourbon Dry Shampoo ($28 US for 4.4oz). Nirvana Bourbon is one of my top three favorite fragrances of all time. It is incredibly sexy and sensual to me, having a mixture of vanilla bourbon, Oakwood, and tuberose. Why am I proud that this is an empty? I don’t use dry shampoos. Ever. Before purchasing this item I used dry shampoo once or twice and didn’t get it. Yet, I bought this, as well as the Nirvana Black Dry Shampoo($28 US for 4.4oz). I have just started using the Nirvana Black Dry Shampoo. But are you ready for this? I bought this dry shampoo August 23 of 2017. This one dry shampoo took me around 9 months to use up. Fucking finally. However, let me say. If I actually was a person who committed to using dry shampoos often, I would ABSOLUTELYrepurchase this product. It actually got my hair feeling clean and smelling amazing!

Next up we have a moisturizer from Clinique called the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel ($27 for 4.2oz). Clinique as a brand I feel doesn’t get talked about enough. If I wasn’t going towards being cruelty-free I would totally repurchase this product. It sunk into my skin beautifully, leaving it hydrated without it feeling heavy or greasy. All around this is a wonderful, basic moisturizer that I feel you also get a good bang for your buck because this size lasted me for ages! I thought I was never going to use this moisturizer up!

Next up are some makeup remover wipes. These I picked up from Fred Meyer, usually on sale for 2/$4. They work well at removing most of my makeup. They do sting my eyes a bit and I do not have sensitive eyes. So if you do, I either recommend not using them around your eye or don’t pick them up period. They also have a pretty strong fragrance, so if you are not into that either, avoid. I like that they are inexpensive and easy to find. I still have a couple of packs in backstock. After I move through those I am going to try the E.L.F. brand wipes, since those are fairly inexpensive and cruelty-free. If you have any good recommendations for makeup remover wipes that are cruelty-free, please leave them in the comments!! Thanks in advance!

Now onto my favorite part. MAKEUP EMPTIES! Does anyone else get super excited when they use up a big makeup item? I get super stoked! Especially when one of those items is a foundation! Ahhh! I even tried scraping as much of the foundation out of the bottle as possible. The Fiona Stiles Matte Finish Foundation Concentrate in 01 Porcelain ($30 US for 1oz) is hands down my favorite foundation of all time. Originally carried at ULTA, all of a sudden everything was being discontinued from this line. I about lost my shit. It took over a year, almost two years I think until Fiona Stiles re-launched her beauty line on ShopReedClarke.com Honest to God, I’m still worried because I don’t know if Fiona Stiles Beauty will be a permanent part of Reed Clarke, so when the foundation came in stock I purchased three backups. I don’t think she reformulated the foundation because it appears and works the same, but the lightest shade is now 01 Alabaster and it is pretty similar to the original 01 Porcelain. Anyway, moving on.

Another item that I was able to knock out was my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Granite ($21 US). I have used up several of these and have never been let down. It has been my holy grail for years. I’m still trying out the Kat Von D Signature Brow Precision Pencil in Graphite ($20 US) that I picked up during the Sephora VIB Sale, so I don’t know if I like that one more. I do have a back up of the ABH Brow Wiz in the shade Ebony that I am working on right now. After I use that one, I truly feel I will repurchase another Brow Wiz, it just never lets me down and I love it so much. Also, quick question. I have seen so many people talk about how their spoolies always break on their brow wiz and yet I have NEVER had that happen to me. Have any of you guys had that happen? It just makes me curious as to how viciously they are combing through their brows to get their spoolie to break, you know what I mean?

Last but certainly not least are the samples! Believe it or not, samples are hard for me to use up. I always forget to reach for them because I tend to tuck them away. I have been trying my best to keep up on them and use up the products. Let’s talk about the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask ($27 for 3.4oz). This deluxe sample size was a perfect size to try out the product. I got a multitude of uses from this 1oz sample, giving me a good idea of the product. Overall, I felt it was a very good mask, it sunk into my skin and definitely felt like it detoxified my skin. However, Origins is not cruelty-free and it does not work better than my Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay ($8.30 for 1lb) and it is much more expensive.

Next, we have the belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb($38 for 1.68oz). Again, nice sized sample. I felt I was given enough product to fully test it out. The consistency was on the thicker side, which I expected since it is a cream. For my skin however it was too thick, felt heavy on my skin and didn’t sink in like I would have liked. This product I feel would work best for someone with really dry skin. I did enjoy the Aqua Bomb ($38 for 1.68oz), but sadly I would not purchase due to belif not being cruelty-free.

To round out the samples, I had a small offering of the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream ($45 for 8.1oz). This one I was genuinely prepared to hate. When this first launched everyone and their fucking mother was raving about this product. How it smelled so amazing, was so luxurious, how it was the best body cream ever, yadda yadda yadda. Yeah right, it’s a fucking body lotion, how good could it actually be? Well, the lotion is nothing to write home about. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t say it is any better than The Body Shop Body Butters($21 for 7oz). What is amazing about this product is the fucking scent! I never, in a million years, would have thought I would like something with pistachio and salted caramel notes. Not because I don’t like them as food items, but with those keynotes, I would figure it would be something super sickly sweet. Boy was I wrong! It is sweet but in a sexy almost musky way. It is hard for me to put my finger on, but if you could go in just to smell it, you will understand what I am saying. The next time I go into Sephora, I am going to find the Brazilian Crush Body Fragrance Mist ($32 for 8.1oz) and see if it is dead on of the Bum Bum Cream because if it is, I would ABSOLUTELY purchase this fragrance!

Jesus this was a long ass post! I had to take breaks writing this because it was taking me so long, haha. So in the past two months, I have managed to use up $161.75 worth of product, putting me at a total of $342.45 worth of product used up in five months. Not bad if I say so myself! Well, I feel I have definitely taken up plenty of your time. If you have actually read this entire post, damn. And secondly type marshmallow in the comment section, haha. Also, if you love collecting your trash as much as I do for these purposes, let me know what you used up and what you plan on repurchasing! I truly feel empties are the best way to know how someone truly feels about a product, don’t you? Thanks for stopping by and until next time!

Hey there and thanks for stopping by! My name is Leah; I’m a 30 year old vegetarian and a cruelty-free beauty blogger for the everyday consumer. I love makeup, dogs, sharks, and all things horror. This is my stomping ground to share not only cruelty-free goodies, but all that I love with the world. So if you are interested in what I have to offer, stick around and subscribe! Maybe we’ll find some things in common!